Crutch and cane tip.



1 W. PRATT. GRUTGH AND GANE TIP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1910.

Patented June 6,1911.

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PHILIP W. PRATT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CRUTCH ANI) CANE TIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 6, 1911.

Application filed August 2, 1910. Serial No. 575,083.

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that l, PHILIP 1V. PRATT, vof Boston, in the county of'Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Crutch and Cane Tips, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an elastic terminal for the staff of a crutchor cane, adapted to yieldingly support the staff and the weight imposedupon it and to prevent the staff from slipping on the surface on whichit bears, the terminal including a socketed elastic tip composed whollyor in part of rubber, and a metallic bushing on which the tip is fitted,the bushing having means for engaging the staaf.

The invention has for its object, first to enable the bushing tosurround and conline the mouth of the tip socket in such manner as toprevent the spreading and cracking of the latter, and secondly toprovide improved means for movably connecting the bushing with the staffin such manner as to permit any desired inclination of the staffrelatively to the tread face of the tip, so that said face may have anextended bearing on the ground without being inclined with the staff.

The invention consists in the improvement which I will proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification,-Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of acrutch staff having a terminal embodying my invention. Fig. 2 representsa section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

In the drawings, (Figs. 1 and 2), 12 represents a terminal memberadapted to be attached to a crutch staff 13, said member beingpreferably formed as a ferrule closed at one end, and internallythreaded to be secured upon the staff. The closed end of the ferrule isprovided with a downwardly projecting shank or ball member, having acontracted neck portion 14, and a substantially spherical head portion15. A metallic foot is provided, on which an elastic tip 16 is removablyfitted, said foot being movably engaged with the ball member 15, so thatit is adapted to tip or rock thereon with the tip 16, in any direction.

The foot as here shown is composed of a hollow metallic shell 17 whichis internally screw threaded and has a cylindrical outer surface whichclosely fits the interior of the tip 1G, an externally threaded metallicsleeve 18, which is screwed into the shell 17 and has an outwardlyprojecting flange 19, and an inwardly projecting lip 20 at its outerend, and a plunger 21 which is movable in the sleeve and has a cuppedouter end bearing on the outer portion of the ball member 15. rlhe lip20 forms a contracted mouth, which is of smaller diameter than the headof the ball member 15, and so engages the neck portion of the ballmember as to prevent the withdrawal of the ball member from the sleeve,while permitting the socket member formed by the sleeve, the lip 20, andthe plunger 21, to tip freely in any direction on the ball member.

22 represents an annular elastic rubber cushion which is interposedbetween the bottom of the terminal member 12, and the top of the flange19, and surrounds the neck portion of the ball member, the opposedsurfaces of the member 12 and fiange 19 being preferably grooved asshown by Fig. 2, to engage the cushion and prevent it from slippinglaterally. The cushion 22 yieldingly maintains the bushing and tip inalinement with the staff, and permits any desired inclination of thestaff' while the tread face of the tip bears, with little or no tipping,on the ground. The plunger 21 is yieldingly supported by a spring 23,interposed between a shoulder on the plunger and the closed bottom ofthe shell 17. Said spring constitutes a buffer which coperates with theelastic tip and the cushion 22 in cushioning the staff and the weightimposed upon it. rlhe plunger is removable through the lower end of thesleeve 18, so that the parts may be readily assembled, the ball memberbeing inserted in the lower end of the sleeve 18, before being securedby its threaded shank to the member 12.

24 represents a ring preferably composed of sheet metal, which surroundsthe mouth of the shell 17, and has a depending annular flange 25 whichsurrounds and bears closely on the mouth ofthe tip 16, the object ofsaid flange being to prevent the spreading and cracking of the mouth ofthe tip, thus overcoming an objection often experienced in the use ofelastic tips of this character. rThe flange may be provided withdepending resilient fingers 26 bearing on the exterior of the tip.

I claim l. An attachment for crutches, canes, and the like, comprising aterminal member adapted for attachment to a stati, and provided with adownwardly projecting ball member, a foot having a socket movablyengaged with the ball member, an elastic tip fitted on said foot, and anannular elastic cushion interposed between the terminal member and footand surrounding the neck portion of the ball member.

2. An attachment for crutches, canes, and the like comprising a terminalmember adapted for attachment to a stall, and provided with a downwardlyprojecting ball member, a foot composed of an internally threaded shellan externally threaded flanged sleeve, engaged with the shell, andhaving a contracted mouth engaging the inner portion of the ball member,a plunger movable in the sleeve and bearing on the outer port-ion of theball member, said sleeve and plunger constituting a socket membermovably engaged with the ball member, a spring interposed between theplunger and the bottom of the shell, and holding the plunger yieldinglyagainst the ball member, and an elastic tip iitted on the shell.

3. An attachment for crutches, canes, and the' like, comprising aterminal member adapted for attachment to a stati, and pro` vided with adownwardly projecting ball member, a foot composed of an internallythreaded shell, an externally threaded flanged sleeve, engaged with theshell, and having a contracted mouth engaging the inner portion of theball member, a plunger movable in the sleeve, and bearing on the outerportion of the ball member, said sleeve and plunger constituting asocket member movably engaged with the ball member, a spring interposedbetween the plunger and the bottom of the shell, and holding the plungeryieldingly against the ball member, an elastic tip iitted on the shell,and an annular elastic cushion interposed between the sleeve flange andthe terminal member.

4L. An attachment for crutches, canes, and the like, comprising aterminal member adapted for attachment to a staff, and provided with adownwardly projecting ball member, a foot composed of an internallythreaded shell, an externally threaded flanged sleeve, engaged with theshell, and having a contracted mouth engaging the inner portion of theball member, a plunger movable in the sleeve, and bearing on the outerportion of the ball member, said sleeve and plunger constituting asocket member movably engaged with the ball member, a spring interposedbetween the plunger and the bottom of the shell, and holding theplungeryieldingly against the ball member, an elastic tip fitted on theshell, and a ring surrounding the mouth of the shell, and having anannular depending flange surrounding and conlining the mouth of the til:ln testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

PHILIP WV. PRATT.

l/Vitnesses:

E. BA'roI-IELDER, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

